Auditors say city and school leaders dismiss advice

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Auditors say city and school leaders dismiss advice

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – A report by the Richmond city auditor found hundreds of recommendations made to the city over the years to help save money and run more efficiently have been ignored.

CBS 6 learned that between 2004 and 2011, city leaders dismissed recommendations on average 58% of the time. The findings also showed that, on average, Richmond Public schools dismissed auditor recommendations 77% of the time.

After a meeting in city hall Tuesday afternoon, CBS 6 News asked city leaders and Richmond Public schools officials why they’ve dismissed recommendations more often than not.

“They’re very difficult to implement. They require dollars that we don’t have, or manpower that we can’t afford to hire,” said Richmond’s Chief Administrator Byron Marshall.

“The only audit findings that were not implemented were the ones where we did not have the money,” said Richmond City Schools Chief Operating Officer Andy Hawkins.

Hawkins added he’s not quite sure how the auditor got those percentages. He said in 2011 Richmond Schools followed through on 82% of the auditor’s advice.